August 30, 1883. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
185 
delicious fragrance. The Woodbine, with crimson clusters ; the Virginia 
Trumpet Creeper; the family of Honeysuckles ; the Cherokee Rose, and 
many others, known and unknown, grow and clamber and thrive along 
"the roadsides and in the depths of the forest with a luxuriance seen 
nowhere else in America. The numerous varieties of the Water Lily 
inhabit every pond and lagoon, all more or less beautiful ; many remark¬ 
ably and peculiarly fragrant, and many so rare as to be found wild in no 
other locality on the continent. The cultivated flowers, as may well be 
imagined, are almost infinite in variety and incomparable in perfection. 
The Camellia japonica is apparently at home here, and attains, with age, 
an immense size. Several in Tallahasse are from 10 to 16 feet in height; 
and Quincy, in Gadsden, the adjoining county, boasts of two which are 
nearly or quite 25 feet in height. Roses bloom the year round, and the 
bushes become trees ; the stem of one here measuring, at the height of 
4 feet, 12 inches in circumference. Eight varieties of the Jessamine are 
found here, and the Cactus family flourishes astonishingly. It is too 
■great a task and would require too much space to name more ; suffice it 
to say that probably in no other region on this continent can be found 
•or cultivated in the air so great a variety, or such magnificent specimens 
of the several kinds, as may be found in the numerous flower gardens 
And private collections of the middle Florida towns. The ladies of 
Tallahasse especially excel in the gentle art; and as there is but one 
greenhouse for trade purposes, and not a single professional florist in all 
middle Florida, the name the Capital City has fairly acquired as ‘ The 
•Flower City of the Land of Flowers’ is a distinction of no common 
significance.” 
VIOLA ARDWELL GEM. 
When on a visit to Castle Kennedy last September I saw this fine 
‘bedding Pansy for the first time. I was so pleased with the effect it 
produced in the flower gardeD, where it is extensively growD, that I 
asked Mr. Fowler to favour me with a. few cuttings of it later on in the 
autumn, a request he most kindly granted. I learned that it was a 
great favourite with him, and as far as my experience goes 1 consider 
it is the best light yellow self in cultivation. It is a hardy variety, has 
a compact dwarf habit, and when planted it soon covers the ground. 
The flowers are large and of good substance; they stand erect on a 
strong flower stalk, and are produced in great abundance from early in 
spring till late in autumn. Mr. Fowler informed me that it was 
originated at Ardwell, a gentleman’s seat in Wigtonshire not far from 
-Castle Kennedy, and that it is scarcely known out of the immediate 
•district. I find that it grows and flowers as freely here as I saw it do 
at Castle Kennedy, and it is greatly admired for its close dwarf habit 
and the size, shade, and productiveness of its flowers.—A. Pettigrew, 
' Castle Gardens, Cardiff. 
SEASONABLE NOTES ON FRUIT TREES. 
This is a most important month both as concerns the 
produce of the present year and that of succeeding crops ; and 
although we have all been somewhat disheartened as to certain 
crops of the present year, we must still hope on, even as our 
ancestors did in their day. If we cannot always wage war 
successfully against inclement springs, we can at least put in 
requisition all those modes of practice which, being based on a 
knowledge of Nature’s laws, can alone be depended on. 
The remarks I intend to offer will refer principally to trained 
trees. It is quite unnecessary here to go farther. Any principle 
which will apply to trained trees will apply, in degree, to the 
most ordinary standard or espalier, modified, of course, by 
degrees of hardihood and modes of training. 
One of the first objects to be considered at this month is the 
ripening of the wood; a second is the equalisation of the sap, so 
as to produce a due equilibrium in the trees; and lastly, to 
accommodate fruits hastening towards ripening. 
And let not the ripening of wood be deemed a mere cuckoo- 
'Cry because it is brought forward almost periodically. It is of 
so much importance in the eyes of those who try to remind the 
less-informed, that they feel it a duty to keep the subject alive; 
and such must be the case until these principles are, to all 
concerned, familiar as “ household words.” On this thorough 
consolidation depend the health, character, and utility of tender 
fruits. And what does all this mean? Why, that the tree has 
been treated according to its requirements, that by the fall of 
the leaf all Nature’s processes have been fully carried out— 
nothing left in arrears. As there happen to be many late 
growths in fruit trees of healthy habits, it becomes us so to 
control these as to sustain a proper equilibrium in the trees. 
This we call equalising the sap. 
Then we have to consider the immense value of a free access 
of sunshine to the would-be fruit-blossoms of the succeeding 
year. I begin to think that we have hitherto underrated the 
importance of this matter; and that the various processes of 
disbudding, stopping, Ac., might be carried still further without 
in any way deranging the system of the tree. As for being so 
nervous about incipient fruit-buds losing their balance and 
“going to wood,” I can only say it is a somewhat morbid 
fancy. Certainly, in very gross trees we may meet with such 
things ; but sorry is the condition of that operator who is afraid 
to act in the face of this bugbear. Such forget that, admitting 
this trivial affair, we obtain an equivalent of ten times the value. 
I have a lot of Pears which, having a thin crop, have been in 
the habit since May of producing much spray. I have had this 
stripped away entirely, or nearly so, this season ; and on examina¬ 
tion I find the fruit-buds exceedingly profuse, and in a most 
decided and advanced condition. Besides this, we want some 
sunlight to the fruit. This is admitted on all sides. So that 
here we have four or five reasons of high consideration for 
securing sunlight and subduing grossness. The reasons against 
such are as nothing in the scale; certainly must be allowed no 
preponderance. I may now point to a few of our fruits by way 
of illustration. 
The Peach and Nectarine. —Of what possible benefit can 
it be that so many shoots are usually nailed to the wall during 
summer, as is the practice with many? Some cannot find pluck 
enough to do away with supernumeraries. Where rods or young 
shoots are required as leaders, or to fill given spaces, by all 
means let them be reserved. The rest may be cut back to about 
three leaves. This, of course, is approaching a spur system; 
but I have tried it for two or three years, and feel assured that 
it is the good plan after all. Of course there will have been a 
liberal disbudding in spring ; and where there is a profusion of 
shoots, and the disbudding is duly performed, the rest during 
summer may be fairly pinched back. Such spurs on growing 
trees will, of course, produce bunches of small spray afterwards ; 
and this must be closely pinched early in September ; after 
which, little more will be qiroduced. But what about the terminal 
qioints of such trees ? These may all be pinched on the spray, 
merely removing the growing points. In all cases of pinching, 
however, let this be an exceptionWherever any shoots are 
poor or show leanness, pinch not, but suffer spray and all to 
grow to the end. 
The Apricot. —The habit differs much from the Peach, and 
a somewhat different handling is required. One thing may be 
observed, that complete sunlight from midsummer until October 
is indispensable in securing the organisation of perfect blossoms 
for the ensuing year. Pinching back of fruit-spray must, there¬ 
fore, be constantly resorted to. But with regard to the leading 
shoots a different policy should be observed. These should 
never be pinched, unless for two reasens :—First, as robbers, 
or leaders, exceedingly gross—such may have their points 
pinched about midsummer, or, indeed, earlier. Secondly, when 
they are over-topping their bounds. 
The Pear. —Here we have a most unruly subject. If any 
novice were to form a judgment of all Pears and their habits, 
modes of fruiting, and various vagaries that Pears are heirs to 
by merely having grown Louise Bonne of Jersey and a Beurre 
d’Amanlis he would think that folks made too much fuss about 
Pears. But their habits differ more, perhaps, than those of any 
one family of fruits. I alluded to severe operations on this fruit 
previously; and 1 can but repeat that, at this period above all 
others, it is necessary that sunlight be secured to all portions of 
the trees. All rambling leaders of trained Pears may be pinched 
immediately; many, it is to be hoped, have received this treat¬ 
ment before. 
Still there remains another material consideration as concerns 
September; and I would here put the question —“ Have you any 
trees still infested with insects ? ” The Peach, above ali, 
deserves particular attention at this period. Red spider is very 
apt to get ahead whilst the wood is ripening; and at such period 
so robs the trees that the buds are imperfect, and the following 
year we hear lamentations about blossoms not setting and 
fruit falling. Insects of whatever kind must not be played 
with but destroyed at once by the best means at disposal, or no 
one has a right to expect healthy and productive trees.—R. E. 
HERBACEOUS PLANTS AT WOOD LAWN. 
Though the majority of hardy plants for the decoration of 
borders and rockwork have either finished their flowering or are 
past their best, there are still many that have yet to contribute 
to the display. The tall perennial Phloxes (the garden varieties 
of P. acuminata, P. paniculata, and P. pyramidalis) are more 
conspicuous in this respect than any other class of hardy plants 
